One Man's Legacy
by Spunky0ne
Summary: After the Quincy war, Ichigo and Kisuke find a preservation chamber in the wreckage of Squad 12's headquarters containing an unconscious and pregnant Ichimaru Gin. Ichigo defies the newly elected Central 46, vowing to protect Gin and the baby, no matter that the child's father is the escaped traitor, Aizen Sousuke...mpreg, Ichigo/Gin/Ichigo, Aizen/Gin, Byakuya/Tetsuya, Grim/Renji
1. In the Wreckage

**One Man's Legacy**

**By Spunky0ne**

**(I couldn't decide on whether to do another Aizen/Gin or an Ichigo/Gin/Ichigo, so I'm doing both. This one pairs Gin and Ichigo, a new one for me. I hope you all enjoy it! Love you, Spunky)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: In the Wreckage**

"Ugh!" Ichigo complained, carefully trying to avoid the odd green slime that covered mot of the debris he was moving, "This is disgusting! Why are we doing this again?"

"Riiiiiight!" Kisuke chuckled, extracting a partially destroyed computer console and gently setting it aside, "You're used to just coming in, busting up the town, saving the day and leaving. You've never had to bother cleaning up after yourself, here, have you?"

"What?" the Shiba heir snapped indignantly, "I wasn't even the one who made this mess!"

"Well, the mechanics of the situation are simple. You and I are a couple of healthy bodies left in a society where most everyone else is pretty trashed. _Someone's_ got to pick up the mess. And besides, picking up the mess in the twelfth division is too dangerous for most regular folks."

"You can say that again," Ichigo sighed, "That big blob that tried to eat me is still giving me the creeps. I hate this place. Now I know why Renji and Rukia'd rather have teeth pulled than to come here."

"Huh, I think they wouldn't complain so much to be out of bed and on their feet again instead of being in bandages and aching all over like they are."

"Has Byakuya come to yet?" the Shiba heir asked, a twinge of worry in his belly as he remembered carrying his unconscious friend back home from the battlefield.

"Not yet, but he will," Kisuke assured him, "He comfortable at home, surrounded by the clan healers and attendants. Orihime's there and Tetsuya hasn't left his side since he was brought back. The healers are watching him because he's so close to giving birth to the Kuchiki heir."

"That's right," Ichigo remembered, smiling, "I just hope that Byakuya's awake by the time the baby comes. No one should miss a moment like that."

"He won't," Kisuke laughed, "No one's more devoted to family than ol' Byakuya. He'll wake up in time."

"Argh! I wish he'd wake up in time to help out with some of this. This is disgusting!"

"Yeah, well, this disgusting mess is full of Kurotsuchi Mayuri's secrets. And with him missing, we aren't going to overlook anything that might give us a clue about that."

"Don't know why anyone even wants to find out where he disappeared to," Ichigo complained, "That guy is worse than some of the enemies we've fought. I don't know why you ever got him out of the Maggot's Nest. He's crazy! The shit he's pulled..."

"Well, he did invent some pretty important things, and we would have lost even more people than we did without some of his crazy remedies."

"Whatever, I still don't like him. I don't trust him."

"Good. Neither do I."

"But you got him released!" Ichigo objected, grimacing as he discovered a still warm chunk of the blob they had destroyed, "You...?"

"Just because I got him released and put him in position to be a taichou doesn't mean I liked the guy," Kisuke explained, "I just figured that a mind like that had potential that I could mine while I was a taichou, myself. I didn't count on losing my job and being banished. I was supposed to be there to keep him under control. But it didn't happen like that. Now that I've come back here, I feel responsible for cleaning up my mess."

"Why am _I_ cleaning up your mess?" the Shiba heir mused dourly, "I think I'd rather be like Byakuya, unconscious and surrounded by people who love him, getting ready to have a baby..."

"You? A baby?" Kisuke laughed, "You're barely out of diapers yourself. You have two kid sisters. Are you that eager?"

"Naw," Ichigo sighed, "I just don't want to have to pick up all of this crap anymore. Can you really blame me?"

"No," Kisuke said, shaking his head and smiling, "And we'll knock off soon. Just help me with this fallen wall over here. I think I sensed a computer still functioning back there. I want to check it out."

"Okay," Ichigo agreed, regaining his smile as the end of their work approached.

The two took up positions on either side of the large piece of broken wall and pulled together fiercely.

"Damn! That is really stuck," Ichigo noted.

"Yeah, see if you can break up some of the edge over there, while I work on this side. If we can't get it this way, we can always break it up more and pull it out. I just don't like taking the chance of destroying anything that might still be working, you know?"

"Yeah, okay."

Each worked quietly at his side of the wall, then the two tried again to lift the section, only to find it still refused to budge.

"All right, I guess we're hacking it up."

"One stupid blast of kido would do it, noooo, he's got to have it in one piece," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"Fighters," Kisuke chuckled, "They have no appreciation for the finer things. It's all hacking, slashing and bashing, no finesse at all."

"You did a fair amount of busting things up too," Ichigo reminded him.

"Yeah, I did. But I'm not the one griping about cleaning up my mess."

"This isn't MY MESS!" shouted the Shiba heir.

"Just kidding!" Kisuke laughed, "Don't blow a gasket over there."

"I'm not blowing anything," Ichigo grumbled, "There, I broke it over here. We can probably get this piece out now."

The shopkeeper joined his friend and the two pulled at the smaller section of wall, dragging it away and revealing something that made both men stop and stare for a moment.

"Well, I'll be. What was that crazy bastard doing with that?" Kisuke breathed.

"What is it?" Ichigo queried, moving closer to the huge, blue, tube-shaped structure.

"It's what was still working back there behind the wall. It's a preservation unit. I don't know if we want to know what's inside it."

He moved closer and studied the controls on the unit. Ichigo moved along the side of the unit, picking up a fallen file from the debris littered floor. He opened the file and scanned its contents as Kisuke continued to study the preservation unit. A moment later, he stiffened and the file nearly fell from his hand.

"Kisuke!"

Hearing the urgency in his voice, the shopkeeper moved immediately to his friend's side and took the file from his shaking hands. His grey eyes read briefly and his breath caught.

"Mayuri, you son of a bitch!" he gasped softly.

"How the hell could he do that?" Ichigo wondered numbly.

"Not in any way I'd want to know about, and that's saying something. Hey, why don't you go and get Orihime and bring her back here, okay?"

"You're going to...?"

"Not until you get back. I'm going to make sure that everything's stable."

"Okay."

"And Ichigo, don't talk to anyone about this. We don't know what we have here yet, and we don't want anyone else getting involved until we do."

"Gotcha!" the Shiba heir agreed, flash stepping away.

Kisuke returned to the unit's control panel, where he spent the next half hour studying each of the many buttons. He found a small panel, which, when pulled away, revealed a schematic of the unit with precise instructions for it's use. After studying the schematic, Kisuke moved back to the main controls, eyeing them carefully, then sighing softly at his findings.

"You are one messed up, freaky bastard," he mused, "I hope if they ever do find you, they build a hole deeper than Muken to put you in!"

"Urahara taichou?"

Kisuke blinked in surprise, still not used to hearing his restored title. He turned to observe the young officer standing amidst the debris a short distance away.

"Yeah, Rikichi, what's up?"

"It's the newly elected Central 46, sir!" Rikichi exclaimed, "They've just left the sixth division and are coming here to survey the recovery and restoration efforts."

"Just what I don't need," Kisuke mumbled, "Hey, uh, you need to go out there and keep them from coming in. You shouldn't be here, yourself. There's...ah...some dangerous gasses and malevolent reiatsu I'm cleaning up here. Tell'em I'll have to walk them through tomorrow, okay? It's just too dangerous right now, and hey, we just elected all of them. Wouldn't have to replace any so soon, ne?"

"R-right, sir!" Rikichi said, straightening, "I'll stop them from coming in. But will you be all right, sir?"

"I'm fine. I'm using protective kido. Go on, now, okay?"

"Yes, sir!"

Kisuke watched the youth disappear into the distance, then turned back to the preservation unit.

"It's good that some of the young, kinda innocent ones are still with us," he sighed, placing his attention back on his work, "We lost a lot of that in the war."

He continued his exploration for a time, pausing when he heard approaching footsteps, then breathing a sigh of relief as Ichigo and Orihime appeared.

"You found her. Thank goodness," the shopkeeper said, sounding relieved, "And you didn't tell anyone?"

"Not a soul," Orihime promised.

"How's Kuchiki taichou?" Kisuke asked kindly, "And Tetsuya?"

"Kuchiki taichou is awake, and just in time!" Orihime said excitedly, "Tetsuya-san is in labor and expected to have their baby tonight."

"Good...good news," Kisuke said, smiling, "I'm sorry to have to pull you away from that..."

"Oh, it's okay," the young woman assured him, "The clan healers have Kuchiki taichou's care under control, and they understand Tetsuya-san's breeder ability better than I do."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Kisuke agreed, "And I could really use your help here. Ichigo and I had a look through the file on what's in this preservation unit, and to make sure that the one in here survives, once we open it, we're going to need to use your healing abilities."

"Okay, I'm ready," Orihime affirmed, "But, what's in there?"

"Come on over. Just, stand back a little. If our buddy, Mayuri, left any kind of traps or such on this thing, I want to be the one to deal with it. Stay right there until I tell you."

"You've got it," Ichigo said, frowning and nudging Orihime back a step behind him.

The two watched as Kisuke took a steadying breath and then touched several of the buttons. They held their breath for a moment at the sound of a loud hissing, then relaxed slightly, watching as the unit's lid rose. Kisuke waited until it was fully opened, then moved forward and leaned over the unit, studying the contents carefully. He examined the naked body of the silver-haired man within, briefly, then drew up the sheet to cover him from the waist down, before calling the other two rescuers over.

"It's okay, no traps," the shopkeeper informed them, "And he's alive and perfectly preserved."

"He?" queried Orihime, following Ichigo to where Kisuke stood, then gasping as she recognized the person in the unit.

"Ichimaru Gin," Ichigo said softly, looking down at the unconscious former shinigami taichou.

"Wh-why is his stomach like that?" Orihime asked in a trembling voice, "Is he like Kuchiki Tetsuya? Is he a breeder male too?"

"I don't think he _was _a breeder male before, but he was transformed somehow into one," Kisuke surmised.

"You think that creepy bastard, Mayuri, did it?" Ichigo asked.

"No, he didn't," Kisuke said with certainty, "You guys remember during the Hueco Mundo invasion that Kuchiki Tetsuya disappeared for a few days, then reappeared?"

"Yeah, and he didn't remember a thing about what happened or where he was," Ichigo recalled aloud, "They checked him out and he hadn't been harmed at all. But he never did remember anything from the time he was gone."

"That's right. It was erased from his mind, by the person who did this to Gin."

"Do you think he knew about this when...?"

"Shh!" Kisuke hissed suddenly, "Someone's coming this way. We can't let them see this guy. Gin's conviction for treason and death sentence were never revoked. If word of this gets to the powers that be in the wrong way, he's not going to live to have that baby! Quick, you two stabilize him and get him to my cottage near Kuchiki Manor. I'll talk to these guys and make sure they don't see you. Orihime, handle this carefully, okay? He's in a pretty fragile state right now. Mayuri didn't go easy on him."

"Okay!"

Orihime leaned over the preservation unit and invoked her power, swiftly providing relief to the unconscious shinigami and stabilizing his body, then she turned and gave Ichigo a nod of approval.

"You can move him now."

Ichigo nodded back and moved forward, then slid his hands under Gin's slender body and lifted it cautiously out of the containment unit.

"I know he broke the laws of Soul Society and he wasn't exactly innocent," Ichigo commented as they worked their way out of the debris that had been the twelfth division, "But he was really trying to stop Aizen."

"I know," Orihime agreed, "It's just sad that Rangiku-san could never get Central 46 to listen to her so that they would pardon him."

"I don't know if they would have, even if they had listened," Ichigo sighed, "As much as Soul Society has changed for the better, some things haven't changed much at all. Gin would have stood a better chance of someone listening if old man Gramps was still alive. I think Kisuke's right that we have to keep this a secret."

"But won't the truth come out eventually? I mean, he can't hide forever, right?"

"One problem at a time," Ichigo chuckled, "Right now, we have to stay focused on keeping Gin and his baby alive. We can worry about clearing his name later."

"You mean, you want to help him?" Orihime asked, smiling up at the Shiba heir, "That's good, because I do too! I know he did some things wrong, but he was a good friend to Rangiku-san. I know we can't tell her about it now, especially with her still being treated in the fourth division, but I know she will be really happy when we can tell her he's alive."

"Yeah, she was really broken up when she thought he died. It's strange, though. She said she buried Gin, herself, in the Rukongai. If Gin's here, I wonder how Mayuri tricked her...or if it even was Mayuri who tricked her. We don't know a thing about how he disappeared from Karakura Town and ended up in Kurotsuchi's hands. I wonder if Gin knows what happened."

The two stopped talking as they reached the small cottage, concealed within a misted section of forest, alongside a large, moonlit lake. They carried Gin inside and laid him in a comfortable bed in one of the rooms. Orihime remained at the unconscious shinigami's side, keeping his body stabilized as Ichigo left for a short time, returning later with food for the two to eat as they waited for the shopkeeper to arrive. They breathed a sigh of relief as Kisuke's flash step finally sounded outside, then the shopkeeper joined them in the bedroom. He looked Gin over again, nodding approvingly, then drew curious frowns from the others as he placed kido bindings on the silver-haired man's slim wrists.

"Do you really need to do that?" Ichigo asked, lowering his eyes, "I mean, we know he wasn't really with Aizen..."

"And we don't want him getting stupid and leaving here before we get his side of what happened," Kisuke warned them.

"Like who took him and made Rangiku-san believe she buried him," Orihime posited.

"Or who the father of his kid is," Ichigo added.

"I don't know who took him," Kisuke said, "whether it was Mayuri or someone who gave him to Mayuri, but the name of the father was in the file on the second page. The father of his baby is...Aizen Sousuke."


	2. Snake Can't Slither

**Chapter 2: Snake Can't Slither**

**(Thanks so much for all of the wonderful support on this story! My gratitude to Bijective and Invertible (Ah, things are about to get veeeeery interesting!), sakurayuri89 (Thanks so much! I will keep them rolling!), Eva Galana (Yes, I love that Gin wasn't all bad. He does have a side no one sees, but Ichigo will get an eyeful. Gin is still a snake, but he does have a heart in there. Ah yes, and Renji will be fun to write with Grimmjow!), Anelir-sensei (Glad you are enjoying the pairing. I love trying new ones!), lokivsanubis (Oh, that baby is going to cause so much trouble!), MissLittleNeko (You've got it! More is coming along!), irritatedbookworm (You have such wonderful ideas! Wait till you see what I've done with this latest!), and IloveGiroro (Here you go!) Love you all! Spunky) **

"You want to knock off for a while?" Ichigo asked, "Dinner's ready."

"Don't tell me you let Orihime cook for us," Kisuke chuckled, lifting Gin's limp arm and checking the IV, then studying the monitor next to the bed.

"No way!" Ichigo laughed, "I value my life. I cooked everything myself."

"Well," the twelfth division taichou said, taking on a more serious expression, "You may value your life, but it seems that bastard, Kurotsuchi didn't value Gin's very much at all."

"Really?" Ichigo mused, frowning down at the uncoscious shinigami, "What do you mean? What did he do to him?"

"It's more like what did he _not_ do to the guy."

"Whoa, even though he knew Gin was pregnant, he...?"

"He appears to have kept him unconscious and on very basic life support well beyond what any reputable scientist would deem safe. I'll be honest with you. Although the guy's body has been preserved, his mental and cognitive faculties may be gone."

"What?" the Shiba heir gasped, looking stunned, "You mean his mind...?"

"Could still be functional, but is more likely to be damaged, maybe devastatingly so. I don't even know if I dare to wake him."

"Damn," Ichigo breathed, shaking his head, "Isn't there any way to help him?"

"I don't know how much help he needs or if I can help him until I attempt waking him, and I don't know if I should attempt waking him while he's still carrying the baby. A sudden change in his state of consciousness or awareness could cause bad things to happen. It could go really wrong, really fast."

"So, what are you going to do, just keep him under like that until the baby comes?"

"I don't know," Kisuke confessed, "Just one of many frustrating questions I have to think about. But, I do think taking a break and having a bite to eat would be good. You mind doing me a favor while I go do that?"

"Sure. What do you want me to do?"

"Sit down by him, okay?"

Ichigo sat down at Gin's bedside and looked up at Kisuke questioningly while the twelfth division taichou lowered the sheet and exposed the pregnant shinigami's rounded belly.

"What's that about?" the Shiba heir queried, frowning, "You want me to give the guy a belly rub or something? You're not going weird on me, are you? Playing jokes? Cause if you are messing with me..."

"I'm not messing with you," Kisuke chuckled, "Although a belly rub isn't far from the mark."

"Kisuke!" Ichigo objected, blushing.

"Just teasing. Look, place your hands over the rounded section and just relax and let your reiatsu billow around you."

"You don't want me to aim it into his body or something?"

"Heh, if _you_ try to aim your reiatsu into him, all you're gonna do is fry the poor bastard, and we don't want that, do we?"

"Jerk..." Ichigo muttered dryly, letting Kisuke position his hands, then offering the requested flow of energy, "Hey, what is this doing, anyway?"

"Gin's body's kind of a mess right now, so he's not circulating his own reiatsu properly. Having yours flow around his body will add to his reiatsu and help to direct the flow more effectively."

"That doesn't sound too dangerous."

"Well, it's not without side effects, but I think if we don't do it, then all we'll have is a dead shinigami, a dead baby shinigami and no answers of any kind."

"So, this is definitely better, but what side effects are you talking about? We're not going to grow any unnatural parts or get sick or..."

"No, no, nothing like that," Kisuke promised, "It's just that, what I'm having you do is actually also related to something the breeders would do. The father of the child would do something similar to this when with his pregnant spouse. It helped to keep the bearer's body in balance and it also bonded the two more firmly by mingling their reiatsu in the child."

"Wait, what?" Ichigo mused, blinking, "I'm not the kid's father! That's Aizen!"

"Well, he's not exactly available to help us out here. And even if he was, I don't think after what he already did to Gin that the guy would welcome him back with open arms. He's likely to lose both of them _and _his head this time."

"But if I do this, you mean...?"

"Your reiatsu would mingle with Gin's and the baby's...well, and the father's, of course."

"Kisuke, something doesn't make sense to me. If Aizen fathered the baby, then why did he try to kill Gin? And why didn't Gin already have the baby, since he survived? And if Aizen didn't father the baby before, does that mean that Kurotsuchi Mayuri did this to Gin using Aizen?"

"You are just full of questions, aren't you?" Kisuke laughed, "But you're in luck. I do have some answers, though only a few. And I have more questions."

He looked down at Gin's sleeping face, watching the muscles relax slightly as Ichigo began the reiatsu infusion.

"First of all, I know for a fact that Gin was already pregnant when he went to Karakura Town with Aizen. I don't know if he realized it, or if Aizen might have hidden the knowledge from him."

"But why would Aizen impregnate the guy if he was just going to kill him...and before the baby was born?"

"I'm not sure. That's one of my questions. But I do know that Gin was impregnated and that Aizen is a father."

"Whoa..._a_ father?" Ichigo repeated, almost forgetting about the infusion, then catching himself and redirecting his reiatsu slightly, "You mean..."

"Let me tell you a little something about the breeders," Kisuke offered softly, "And this goes back to Tetsuya-san. I don't think you know. It's not ever spoken of, but Tetsuya was pregnant when he was rescued from the prison."

"What?"

"Tetsuya-san told Byakuya that the baby was fathered by Naoki, a boy that he shared a cell with in the prison."

"Are you saying that's not true?" Ichigo asked curiously, "And why would Tetsuya lie about that to Byakuya, who just rescued him?"

"I don't think it was really a lie. The boy was one of the fathers, but someone else originally got Tetsuya-san pregnant."

"And how do you know that?"

"Tetsuya-san was badly injured in the rescue attempt and Naoki was killed. Byakuya turned to me to try to save his cousin and the baby."

"But I've never heard of Tetsuya having a baby, so..."

"During surgery, Tetsuya-san's body went into shock. He had taken too much damage and could not manage the pregnancy and still manage his own functions. I tried everything I could think of...every damned thing in the book, but in the end, Byakuya was forced to choose. I could let things take their course and although the baby would be born, Tetsuya-san would definitely have died...or I could end the pregnancy and save Tetsuya-san."

"Damn...," Ichigo breathed, shaking his head, "That's a hell of a choice."

"Tetsuya-san was comatose, but Byakuya knew how he would choose. Even so, he couldn't do it. He couldn't let his cousin die, not after all he had done to bring Tetsuya-san out of that place."

"That's got to have been really hard on them."

"Yeah. Tetsuya-san took the news quietly while Byakuya was there, but collapsed and completely lost it after he left. He didn't hold it against Byakuya, but it broke something in him. He was a mess for a long time, but after Hisana-san's death when he and Byakuya became lovers, Byakuya promised him that they would someday have children of their own. They had to wait a while to make sure that Tetsuya-san's body could tolerate the procedure to repair the damage from before, but things went well and they were able to conceive the Kuchiki heir."

"I'm glad. They deserve to be happy," Ichigo said approvingly, "But, tell me something. You said that Naoki wasn't the only father. If he wasn't, then who else was?"

Kisuke's eyes narrowed.

"You have to promise me that you will never repeat this to another soul without my permission. Tetsuya-san doesn't want Byakuya to know, because he wants to let bygones be bygones and move on. To him, it's just Naoki's child and his, because it was Naoki who cared for Tetsuya and gave him the infusions."

"But someone else fathered the child?"

"Yeah, you know that obnoxious cousin that's always annoying Tetsuya-san?"

"Orochi?"

"Yeah. He was sent by Byakuya to spy within the prison and to protect Tetsuya-san until he could be rescued. Tetsuya-san's father was Kuchiki Soujun's first cousin and closest friend. Takao was his name. He was executed back when marrying a commoner was still strictly punished. Tetsuya-san's mom died in the prison when he was a child. Anyway, Byakuya found out he was there and sent Orochi because the guy was the only one who could masquerade well as one of the mixed-blood haters that ran the place. But it seems that protecting wasn't really what he was doing. According to Tetsuya-san, Orochi sexually assaulted Naoki and him numerous times, and when he found out that Tetsuya-san was pregnant, he had Naoki give him the infusions so that the signs of paternity would be confused. Tetsuya-san begged me to destroy them and to tell Byakuya that Naoki was the only father. He didn't want Byakuya to dishonor himself by killing Orochi in cold blood."

"Why not? The asshole deserved it!" Ichigo insisted, "But I guess I get it."

"Tetsuya-san wanted to calm things between the factions in the clan that favored the traditional ways and the ones who were a little more accepting. Killing Orochi would only have made things more volatile. Even as destroyed as he was by what had happened, Tetsuya-san did what he felt was best for everyone. But, getting back to Gin, although Aizen did contribute the original genetic material, there are others who either took him sexually or contributed reiatsu in the kind of exchange you are using."

"S-so, by...holy hell, Kisuke!" Ichigo snapped, withdrawing his hands only to have them captured and set back in place by the elder shinigami, "Fucking hell, you could have at least warned me!"

"And you would have refused? Is that what you're telling me?"

"You could've done this yourself. Why involve me?" Ichigo demanded, "You know, I thought that crap you pulled on Orihime with the revealing dress was bad, but this is...this is _criminal_!"

"I couldn't infuse him. My reiatsu didn't resonate well with his. And Orihime's a full human, no part shinigami, so she's not compatible. You're at least part shinigami and your reiatsu resonates well with his. And since we can't exactly organize a donor drive while he's still considered guilty of treason..."

"I guess I see your point, but next time at least _say _something before having me do something like that."

"I will, but Ichigo, you need to understand, you being added to the list of fathers is not the biggest problem we have right now."

"Oh? You mean, the bigger problem is keeping Gin from being found. Well, we'll protect him while we figure things out. That's a given."

"I don't just mean that."

"Then, what do you mean?"

"I mean I've been checking out some of the blended reiatsu in this kid and I have to say, I'm more than a little freaked out."

"What? Who are the other fathers? Not Ywach, right?"

"No, luckily not him or we'd pretty much be screwed right here. But all of the others are very powerful shinigamis or hollows."

"So, what you're saying is that Aizen had him then handed him over to..."

"To Tousen and _all_ of the high level Espadas. But that isn't the end of it. He also affected Gin's own reiatsu with the hougyoku, and part of the reason he's such a mess is because it is causing his body to slowly transform."

"Transform? Into what? A hollow?"

"No, not a hollow. A transcendent."

"A transcendent? You mean, like Aizen?" Ichigo asked, paling at the thought, "He wants to have a transcendent baby? Why? Because he could...control the kid and make the hougyoku accept him or her instead of himself?"

"I don't think so," Kisuke answered darkly, "Ichigo, I think that Aizen didn't give a damn about the baby, itself, only the transcendent body that he meant to make more powerful than his own, through infusions by Tousen and all of the ranking Espadas."

"That is _really _screwed up, if that's what he was trying to do. Are you saying he was just making this kid to be a new body for himself? What about the kid's soul?"

"He would have devoured it."

"His own kid?" Ichigo shouted, "Who would do that to his own kid! That's monstrous!"

"Yeah."

Ichigo went silent, gazing down at Gin and blinking in shock at the horror of what Aizen had done to him.

"So, wait, how is it that the kid hasn't been born yet? Hasn't it been too long?"

"It would be except that it seems Gin was held in suspended animation for a while so that Kurotsuchi could fix him up. He was brought out of it occasionally for tests, but then suspended again. It's a sure way of killing most people. Gin's lucky he's still here at all."

"But you don't even know if you can revive him."

"I don't know if I dare revive him and have him wake up to this. If Aizen was keeping him in the dark, which he probably was, because he's Aizen, Gin could lose it and make things even worse for himself and this kid."

Ichigo bit his lip gently, studying Kisuke's expression.

"Is that really the truth or did you keep him under while you tried to make up your mind about whether or not to let the kid be born."

Kisuke flinched and his lips stiffened.

"It's not the kid's fault, right? But you know that the tyke's going to be targeted by everyone, good and bad, looking to use him for something...to make a more powerful body, as a hostage, a bargaining chip or even to hold up as a god. The kid will be more powerful than Aizen and have a ton of shit to deal with. He or she is going to need someone in their corner...someone who will think only of what's best for the kid."

"That's why you chose me, isn't it?"

Kisuke lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised them again to meet Ichigo's.

"I took Tetsuya-san's baby and couldn't save him," he confessed softly, "And I really don't want to take the life of another kid. Even though it was to save Tetsuya-san's life...it...does things to a guy, you know?"

"I get it," Ichigo sighed, "Okay, I'll help him. Just, next time give me a little warning, okay?"

"You've got it."

"Go and eat now," Ichigo said, "I've got this."

"Did you eat?"

"Yeah. Go on. I won't let anything happen to them."

"Thanks, Ichigo," Kisuke said gratefully, turning away and exiting the room.

Ichigo went silent, letting his hands caress the bump on Gin's naked belly and frowning as he mulled over the disturbing details.

"That guy was as twisted as twisted gets," he mused, "and he's out there somewhere. I have to hope he doesn't know you're alive. If he does..."

A bolt of shock went through him as Gin's reiatsu throbbed for a moment, then the restrained shinigami moved fitfully on the bed and his eyelids fluttered and opened. He struggled to focus for a moment as Ichigo prepared to call out.

"Y-you!" Gin gasped, his hand wrapping around Ichigo's wrist, "T-tell me! Did...did you do it, Kurosaki Ichigo? Did you kill Aizen Sousuke?"


	3. Vessel of the Gods

**Chapter 3: Vessel of the Gods**

**(By request for Snookie 98628!)**

"Did you kill Aizen Sousuke?" Gin repeated in a hoarse, gasping voice, his fingers quaking dangerously where they held on to Ichigo's wrist.

"You're awake," Ichigo mused dazedly, "Kisuke wasn't sure you'd be in your right mind, but you...know who I am? You know who you are and Aizen? Everyone?"

"I...I remember," Gin panted, his body quivering, "but tell me, did you kill Aizen?"

Ichigo looked back into Gin's tortured eyes, searching for words.

"I defeated him," he answered finally.

Gin's expression grew haunted and he shivered harder.

"H-he's alive?" Gin asked shakily.

"He would have earned a death sentence, but with the hougyoku in him, he couldn't be killed. They put him in Muken."

A measure of relief flashed in Gin's icy blue eyes and his shaking lessened slightly.

"He's in Muken?"

"Well, actually," Ichigo said cautiously, "There was a war with the quincies. Kyouraku was made soutaichou after Yamamoto soutaichou was killed."

"Aizen escaped? Did he kill Yamamoto soutaichou?"

"No, the quincy king did," Ichigo explained, "Kyouraku Shunsui was chosen to replace him. Kyouraku soutaichou needed Aizen to provide help in the war. They kept him restrained, but brought him out of Muken and used his power to help get the surviving taichous and fukutaichous into the royal realm to fight the quincies."

"The quincies invaded the royal realm?" Gin mused, "I was out a long time..."

"After the quincy king was defeated, the taichous returned from the royal realm and found that Aizen had escaped his restraints and fled. No one knows where he is."

The color drained from Gin's face and he closed his eyes against the words.

"We're not going to let him hurt you, okay?" Ichigo promised, "Kisuke and I are going to protect you and your baby."

Gin blinked in surprise and, for the first time, looked down at his rounded abdomen. His blue eyes rounded in shock and a terrified scream escaped him.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay!" Ichigo said urgently, as Kisuke burst into the room and moved towards them.

Gin shook harder under Ichigo's hands, then his eyes glazed over.

"Th-those nightmares!" he gasped, "They w-were real? He...he...?"

"Take it easy," Kisuke said bracingly, "Like Ichigo said, we're going to protect you."

"You c-can't protect me!" Gin panted, his chest heaving, "He is a monster! I have what he wants. He'll come after me, and there's nothing you can do!"

"What do you mean?" Kisuke said, shaking his head reprovingly, "You're looking at the guys who stopped Aizen before. We'll stop him again, as many times as we have to. Don't worry."

Gin moved his frightened eyes to look at his rounded belly again and shivered.

"Can you tell me," Kisuke went on, "Do you know when and how Aizen did this to you?"

"I think...in Las Noches," Gin posited, "Before we l-left, I had blackouts...horrible dreams, and I became ill. Sousuke...made excuses, but I felt like he wasn't t-telling me everything. The nightmares were too real...and I sometimes found strange markings, bruises, bites or small injuries that made me suspicious. I didn't dare object because he was watching me closely by then. H-he knew I would betray him. I was rather stupid, wasn't I? Playing into his hands like that..."

"Join the club," Kisuke said ruefully, "I think we all got taken for a ride by that guy."

"Not you," Gin said, more softly, "You knew all along that he was poison. You were there when he corrupted the taichous and fukutaichous that became the vizards. You tried to stop him then. But he was too strong for you already and I knew that. That's why I went along with him...to wait...to watch...to see if anyone but me would be able to figure him out, challenge him...beat him."

Gin's eyes met Ichigo's with unusual warmth.

"I am glad you finally came around. If you hadn't been enough to beat him, I would have been Soul Society's last hope, and you saw what a disgrace I turned out to be, even though I understood his power. I didn't know he would fuse with the hougyoku."

"Who did?" Kisuke mused, "You can't blame yourself for not picking up on that, or for not being able to defeat him. Even Ichigo couldn't do it on his own. He had to beat on Aizen until he weakened him enough that Aizen became vulnerable to my special kido."

"Ah, a team effort," Gin said appreciatively, "I never was much of a team player...too bad for me."

"Well, you might not have been a good team player before," Kisuke said thoughtfully, but if you want to get out of this situation alive, then you need to be willing to work with us now."

"Don't be ridiculous," Gin sighed, "I'm not going to get out of this alive, and you know it, don't you, Urahara Kisuke?"

"What're you talking about?" Kisuke asked, "Ichigo told you, we're going to protect you. We're going to figure this thing out."

"And how long do you think you have to ruminate before someone figures out I'm alive and with you?" Gin asked pointedly, "Where did you find me, anyway?"

"In the wreckage of the twelfth division," Kisuke answered, "Kurotsuchi taichou had you stashed away in a preservation cubicle. You've been there for months in hibernation, except when he apparently brought you out of it for experiments."

"He must have drugged me senseless, because I don't remember a thing about that. But something doesn't make sense to me. If it's been so long since Sousuke was captured and I was impregnated, as I think I was, in Las Noches, then how am I still like this? Is this because of the hibernation?"

"Yes," Kisuke confirmed, "Your body was carefully preserved intact. In fact, you were so well protected, even when the twelfth was pretty much obliterated, your little pod came through unscathed."

"Lucky me," Gin said blithely, "But that horrible Mayuri would have wanted me alive for his perverse experiments, so it makes some kind of sense."

"Let's go back to Aizen," said Kisuke, watching Gin's face closely, "Tell me what you know about what he was doing. I already have a pretty good idea, but I need you to confirm my hypothesis. What was that bastard up to?"

"I don't know," Gin confessed, "All I knew at the time was that I was having the worst nightmares of being drugged and raped by Sousuke, Kaname and most of the Espadas. I didn't have a clue it was really happening. Sousuke really must have hated me..."

"I don't think it was even hatred," Ichigo said darkly, "He was probably pissed at you because he suspected you were going to backstab him, but why this? Why pregnancy?"

"Again, I'll tell you, I already think I know," Kisuke warned him, "It's just important for me to know what you knew, what you suspected...that kind of thing."

"Well, I did wonder why, if the dreams were real, he would be doing that to me. It unnerved me a little because it was so close to the time when I might be forced to reveal my hand. I wasn't aware I could have this done to me, but...that explains the experiments on Kuchiki Tetsuya doesn't it?"

"You know about Aizen kidnapping Tetsuya?" Ichigo asked anxiously, "What did Aizen do to him?"

"I'd like to know that too," added Kisuke, "because when Tetsuya was found, he appeared not to have been harmed in any way."

"He wasn't," Gin confirmed, "Sousuke ordered me to just run hundreds of tests on him, to examine him very closely. He was interested in Tetsuya's Breeder ability."

"_You_ ran the tests?" Kisuke asked sternly.

"Yes," Gin affirmed, "Remember, I was trying to keep him convinced I was on his side. It would have been suspicious had I not agreed to run the tests. And he didn't ask me to harm Tetsuya, not that I could have refused if he had asked it. He was watching me like a hawk...and apparently manipulating me from beginning to end."

"Like I said, join the club," Kisuke sighed, shaking his head, "So, did Aizen say anything about why he wanted to explore Tetsuya's Breeder ability?" Kisuke asked.

Gin let out a frustrated breath.

"He did, but hearing that the nightmares I had were real, proves he was just manipulating me."

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me that when we reached the royal realm and he became king, he was going to possibly impregnate a man, so he needed to know how Tetsuya was able to become pregnant."

"And you...?"

"I thought he was going to impregnate me later. I didn't know that he was going to have me impregnated by just about everyone in Las Noches. I wonder if there is anyone who _didn't_ rape me...not that I want the memories back or anything."

"Well, they might come back, but if they do and it's a problem, I can help you out with that."

"What a nice guy," Gin said, recovering his characteristic smirk, "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Kisuke said more softly, "I just hate what that bastard did to, not just you, but a lot of people. I do expect you to tell me what you know. Beyond that, just sit tight and let me try to figure out what's going on in your belly there."

"What's going on is that Sousuke was probably trying to grow some kind of monster," Gin concluded, frowning, "That's not hard to figure out at all. I thought you were a genius..."

"It's the nature of the beast that I'm interested in," Kisuke explained.

"What?" Gin inquired, beginning to look alarmed.

"Having you inseminated and infused with the reiatsu of multiple powerful souls wasn't all that freak did to you."

Gin blanched.

"What else did he do?" he asked, looking down at his belly, then back at Ichigo and the reinstated twelfth division taichou, "I don't...feel any different."

"That's because the procedure he used on you is incomplete. It was held back by the hibernation. Unfortunately, now that you are awake, it will complete itself."

"What procedure is that, dare I ask?"

Kisuke paused, frowning more deeply.

"He used the hougyoku to force your body to transcend."

Gin's blue eyes rounded in distress. He struggled to speak, but found himself lost for words.

"Why?" he managed finally, "He _knew_ I was going to betray him. Why would he impregnate me with this monster reiatsu and then try to kill me? And if I was a transcendent, why try to kill me if he couldn't?"

"Oh, he could have killed you, because, as I said before, the process wasn't complete. You're still not immortal. But you're moving in that direction."

"I don't understand. How is that possible?"

"I think we can agree that what Aizen led you to believe about him impregnating a man, perhaps you, upon reaching the royal realm was a lie to cover up what he planned to use you for. He had you inseminated by multiple powerful souls, then used the hougyoku to transform you, also affecting the reiatsu inside you."

"To create the monster-child?" Gin asked in a shocked tone.

"To create a stronger body for himself," Kisuke corrected him, "It was a hedge, in case he wasn't strong enough."

"But then, why kill Gin?" Ichigo asked.

"By the time he killed Gin, he had won," Kisuke surmised, "at least, he figured that his mastery of the hougyoku had been successful. He cut Gin down, figuring there wasn't any way he was going to lose, because he had transcended and seemed to be above everyone."

"Do you think Aizen knows that Gin is alive?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"Why are you so concerned?" Gin asked pointedly, "Aren't we enemies?"

"Why would you be my enemy?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "We both don't want Aizen to kill you. We both want him caught and put back in Muken."

"I would like to do that without dying or ending up in Muken, myself."

"You're not exactly in a position to make demands," Kisuke reminded him.

"I was merely stating my interests for the purpose of negotiating. I'll help you trap Sousuke, but in exchange, I want protection from him and from Central 46...and...I want my child to go with me when this is over."

"Come again?" Kisuke mused, shaking his head, "Weren't you just calling that little bundle of badness a monster? And now, you want to raise the kid?"

"That is sort of strange," Ichigo agreed.

"Not really," Gin reasoned, "See, even though the kid is going to be a vizard type, just because most of his or her parents are monsters, doesn't mean the kid will be."

"He's got a point there," Ichigo said to Kisuke, "The baby's innocent."

"Are you thinking you'll be able to give a kid any kind of life, even if you survive all of this?" Kisuke argued, "You'll be lucky if you come out alive, yourself, and luckier than that if you stay that way afterwards."

"That's why I need you," Gin posited, "Help me get the kid born and help me trap Sousuke so that he goes back to Muken and I never have to worry about him getting out again! Promise that and I'll cooperate completely."

"I think you'll cooperate anyway," Kisuke said sternly, "If you walk out of here, you won't live for a day. If Aizen doesn't catch you, Central 46 will. You'll have more than monsters to worry about."

"Kisuke, I don't think he's asking for too much," Ichigo interjected, "He's going to help us catch Aizen. He should get something in return. Come on..."

Kisuke's frown deepened and he considered the situation carefully.

"I don't like this," he said finally, "You were a part of Aizen's betrayal, and even if you were planning all along to stab him in the back, that only makes you less trustworthy. You're a self professed snake, and I don't doubt that if you weren't a bit desperate, you'd be pretty dangerous. I have more good reasons to force you to do what I need than to negotiate with someone I don't trust...but...Ichigo's right. I guess if you are going to risk yourself and that monster baby to trap Aizen, the least we can do is to make it worth your while. Just don't be thinking we can get Central 46 to change their mind about you. They're not likely to do that."

"I know," Gin said sadly, but what are my options, ne? My future looks bleak in all directions now."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Ichigo chided him, "I told you we're going to protect you. And we're taking your deal, right Kisuke?"

The shopkeeper sighed resignedly.

"Yeah, all right. But so help me, if I get a whiff of you doing anything shady here, I will personally escort you to Muken to stay for the rest of your life, if not eternity. Forget about Aizen's wrath, you break this deal with me and you will be the sorriest creature in existence, got it?"

"Oh, that's crystal clear," Gin affirmed, smirking, "So, we have a deal. What do you want me to do now?"

"I'm going to make some dinner," Kisuke said, looking around, "I want you to eat and try _not_ to have the monster kid until I have a lead on Aizen's whereabouts."

"That sounds easy enough," Gin agreed.

"Ichigo, I have to go back to my lab for a while after we eat. I want you to stay here and neither of you should go outside. The barrier around this place is your only protection from anyone, Aizen or Central 46 finding you. You want to stay alive, stay in here while I'm gone."

"Cheery, isn't he?" Gin mused, recovering some of his usual wit.

"Ichigo, will you please give the joker there another infusion?" Kisuke asked dryly, turning towards the kitchen, "I'll be back."

"Sure thing," Ichigo answered, turning back to the resting shinigami.

He paused, gazing at Gin's slitted eyes.

"Well?" Gin inquired.

"I just wondered if you were bothered by me touching you. The infusions are kinda intimate."

Gin looked back at him with an amused expression.

"I have hosted the most wicked shinigamis and hollows the three worlds has ever seen in my most private places," he said, shaking his head, "Why would it bother me for you to touch me on the belly?"

Ichigo blushed, earning a more pleased smirk from Gin.

"I guess you have a point there," Ichigo said in a flustered voice, moving to begin the infusion.


End file.
